In a brief but exclusive e-mail exchange with the Post-Dispatch on Monday, Checketts interrupted a short vacation to strongly declare his intention to put together a group of investors to purchase the controlling share of the Rams from majority owners Chip Rosenbloom and Lucia Rodriguez.
"We have the ability to get this done and we have communicated this to the Rams," Checketts wrote in an e-mail. "We approached this with the Rams months ago and have since that time put together a partnership of both concerned St. Louisans and outside capital.
"Last week, we communicated to Chip Rosenbloom in no uncertain terms, that he now has a clear St. Louis buyer. We are that buyer.
"We have reason to believe the NFL would approve our group as we have carefully explored their ownership requirements."
That's strong language from Checketts, who politely declined to elaborate on his plans or reveal the identity of willing investors.
But Checketts clearly is trying to stake out his turf here.
By confidently expressing his belief that he can land the Rams, Checketts is trying to galvanize public, private and political support. It's a smart move. Checketts can attract more investors by making a convincing case that he's a serious player for the Rams.
Checketts already is popular with Blues fans. If he can get Rams fans to rally behind him, even more momentum will shift to Checketts' foray into NFL football.
Rosenbloom and Rodriguez are selling their 60 percent stake in the franchise and have enlisted Goldman Sachs investment firm to help expedite the sale.
Cynics would suggest that Checketts lacks the personal wealth to pull off the purchase of an NFL team. Forbes magazine estimates the Rams' value at $929 million, so Checketts would probably have to raise between $450 million and $500 million to acquire 60 percent of the franchise.
Is Checketts getting in over his head? I heard similar doubts expressed when Checketts entered into negotiations to buy the Blues from Bill Laurie in 2005.
And Checketts has been a success on multiple fronts. Scottrade Center was cold and mostly empty for hockey games as Checketts took over as Blues chairman for the 2005-2006 season. And now the arena is filled again.
The Blues were the worst team in the National Hockey League at the end of Checketts' first season, but the franchise made a triumphant return to the NHL playoffs in April 2009.
Checketts is also in position to pull off another long shot, working with St. Louis city and securing some public dollars to renovate and reopen Kiel Opera House.
As chairman of New York-based SCP Worldwide — an investment firm that focuses on sports, media and entertainment assets — Checketts has displayed an uncanny ability to recruit investors and raise cash.
If Checketts is able to work his magic again, it's unclear what his role would be with an NFL team in St. Louis.
Full-fledged owner? Managing partner? Chairman? It's hard for me to say, because I don't know the identity of Checketts' potential partners or what their feelings are about an ownership structure.
While refusing to disclose specific details, two sources close to Checketts framed some of the activity that's occurred behind the scenes:
— Checketts has had multiple discussions with Rosenbloom and "exchanged valuations" on the sale of the football team. A source close to Rosenbloom confirms the conversations with Checketts.
— The investors who reportedly are linking with Checketts are local St. Louis businessmen "of significant value," who share Checketts' desire to keep the Rams in St. Louis and sort through stadium issues here. I was told that two of the names of investors would be "recognizable" to St. Louisans. Another was described as a "heavy hitter" financially.
— Checketts has informed his friend, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, of his efforts to pursue the Rams.
In 2008, when Checketts first informed me of his interest in buying the Rams, the reaction was generally skeptical. That's understandable, since Checketts' name never appears on the lists of the nation's wealthiest individuals. There's a tendency to underestimate him.
So go ahead and scoff. But I wrote it before and I'll do it again: It would be a mistake to dismiss Checketts. He's resourceful, focused, organized and doggedly determined to get what he wants.
And here's another reason I would consider Checketts a contender for the Rams: He has a friend in the right place.
That would be Chip Rosenbloom, who genuinely likes Checketts.
Checketts has gotten Rosenbloom's attention. Now comes the difficult part: coming up with enough money to get Rosenbloom's football team.
Source: ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH